


Crimson Wind

by Tsukiyomi



Category: 19天 - Old先 | 19 Days - Old Xian
Genre: Anger, Comedy, Heartbreak, M/M, Side Relationships - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-07-02
Packaged: 2019-04-30 12:47:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14497311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsukiyomi/pseuds/Tsukiyomi
Summary: Jian Yi finally comes back after disappearing without a word to anyone. The first person he visits is his best friend, Zheng Xi, who is already in college. When the two guys meet again, their relationship has changed and Jian Yi finds himself struggling to stay close to the man he still loves, even if it hurts him. After spending months of trying to get Zheng Xi to open up to him again, a particular event causes Jian Yi to rethink his decision of staying by his best friend side and he thinks about leaving for good. What will Zhan Zheng Xi do?





	1. Home

**Author's Note:**

> All characters belong to Old Xian!

The obnoxious knocking on his door was starting to irritate Zhan Zheng Xi to no ends because he had an exam tomorrow at 10 am and it was currently 11 pm. Grudgingly getting up from his bed, he made his way out to the living room and to the front door.

"Stop knocking so damn loud! You'll wake up the neighbors!" He yelled and rubbed his tired eyes and ruffle his hair. Whoever was behind that door must be asking for a beating because the knocking continued and he yanks it open, his tired eyes barely opened. "What the hell do you want?"

A breath hitched and a soft sigh was all Zheng Xi heard. "...Zhan Zheng Xi."

Zheng Xi's bloodshot eyes snapped fully open and the male craned his neck up so fast that he heard a slight pop. His eyes widen slightly and his jaw dropped a few centimeters at the man standing in front of him. He realized that he couldn't move a single inch due to the sudden shock that fills his entire body and when he finally regains his composure, Zheng Xi finally takes notice of the blood on the blond male's body.

"....Jian Yi?"

The blond smiled weakly and tried to stand higher, ignoring the pain shooting up his body. "Yo. It's been a long time, Xi~"

"Don't call me that. What the fuck are you doing here?" Zheng Xi wanted to punch Jian Yi for disappearing without a damn word, but the multiple blood spots on his uniform halted his actions. He wanted to ask what happened but things weren't the same between them anymore ever since his so-called best friend disappeared and it was awkward between the two of them now.

Jian Yi shoved his hands deep in his pocket and continues to smile at the shocked male. "I can't visit my best friend? I see you've gotten to university. Congrats! You've grown well."

"Cut the bullcrap. Where the hell did you go-?!" Jian Yi's eyes suddenly rolled back and he fell forward, unable to keep up with his act any longer. Zheng Xi launched forward to catch him and he grimaced at how light his childhood friend seems to be in his arms. This guy, does he even eat at all? He weighs like a damn feather! "Jian Yi! Shit!"

Zheng Xi quickly gathered the unconscious male in his arms and gently laid him down on his couch, quickly scrambling off to retrieve the aid kit. After grabbing the kit aid his sister lent to him when he first moved out and him thinking he wouldn't need it, he made a note to thank his little sister later and went to go get a washcloth, along with a basin bowl filled with warm water. He took his time to strip Jian Yi's black jacket and his white button top slowly, his eyes narrowing slightly at the cuts and bruises on Jian Yi's upper torso.

"What the hell...." Zhan Zheng Xi quickly dumped the cloth into the warm water and gently wipe away the blood that was starting to crust on the right lower side of Jian Yi's abdomen. Once the blood has been removed, the thick eyebrow male realized that the cut was much deeper than he anticipated and locked his jaw a bit too tight. Anger began boiling inside him when he made another realization that Jian Yi didn't even bother going to the hospital first before coming to his apartment. But now's not the time to get mad at the fool, since Zhan Zheng Xi needed to attend to the other injured areas.

By the time Zheng Xi finished bandaging up Jian Yi's damaged body, it was already past midnight and his eyes went back to Jian Yi's deep cut that definitely required stitches. The blood had finally stopped and his eyes travel up to the rest of the cuts and bruises that were sporting almost all over Jian Yi's body. He narrowed his eyes at the canvas that's being displayed on his couch at 1 in the morning, feeling mixed emotions welling up inside him. Zheng Xi debated on whether to take him to the hospital or call He Tian right now to tell him the news, but then he realizes both options weren't suitable at this time of hour. Plus, he had an important exam that he really need to do well on and here he was, sitting by his childhood friend who looked like he got the beating of his life, to make sure he's alright.

A small whimper cuts his train of thoughts and he glances over to see Jian Yi's breathing has increased and his limbs were moving around aimlessly. Was he fighting in his dream? Fuck, what the hell happened during the time he went missing? Zheng Xi had so many questions but he'll save it for another day because right now he could feel his own eyes closing and he still had to make sure Jian Yi wasn't going to pass out on him tonight. He stood up and collected the basin bowl that's now dark red and the reddened towel, going over to the kitchen to pour the water out and rinse the towel in the sink. 

He heads back over to Jian Yi and realizes that he would need to find a spare of clothes for the blonde to wear since the uniform was dirty and matted with blood. A deeply frown sets across his face and ignoring the fatigue creeping up on him, he went inside his room and grabbed a pair of shirt and pants, along with a blanket, folding it neatly before placing it on the desk next to his couch. 

He doesn't have the time to put it on Jian Yi and Zheng Xi didn't want to risk opening up any wounds if he moved Jian Yi around too much. After making sure Jian Yi's breathing has calm down and sets into a slow breathing, he carefully covered his body with a blanket and turned off the kitchen light. Casting one last look over his shoulder, he trots back to his bedroom and shuts the door. Suddenly, he felt extremely tired and his eyes closed as soon as his head hits his pillow. 

He'll deal with it all tomorrow.


	2. Rise

Jian Yi woke up to a hungry stomach and his body was aching so badly that all he could do is utter out a groan when he tries to sit up. Every movement fucking hurts and all he could do is lay there like a lifeless corpse for a good 20 minutes with his eyes closed and his eyebrows scrunched. When he finally sat up, he swept his hair back and glance around the room, wincing every now and then.

Where was he? He's still half asleep and the only light that's emitting in the room is the sunlight shining through the royal blue curtains. Jian Yi tries to conjugate any memory of the previous night. Frankly, he didn't even remember what happened other than getting into a fight with some wannabe gangster on his way to see his best friend and how nervous he was, thinking he shouldn't have come but before he knew it, his feet had taken him and - oh. 

Oh.

The sudden realization hits him hard and his eyes widen. He looks around again and his mouth drops a few centimeters. He's inside Zheng Xi's apartment?! But how? He didn't even remember stepping foot inside or hearing Zheng Xi inviting him in, other than giving him such a cold look that made his heart ache a little. 

He knew that he wouldn't be greeted with a warm invitation when he came back. Jian Yi knew that if he were to stand in front of Zhan Zheng Xi's apartment after going hiatus for 3 years, his reaction wouldn't be pretty and he was right. But it didn't stop him from remembering how cold his best friend was acting toward him once he realizes who stood in front of him.

The corner of his mouth quirked up a little when he remembers the bedhead and the sleepy face Zhan Zheng Xi displayed and Jian Yi thought it was cute. Even the threat of kicking his ass if he kept on knocking even if Xi didn't know who was knocking. He just couldn't contain his excitement and the longing of wanting to see Xi's face again had him knocking continuously. It had been too long. 

Jian Yi finally takes notice of the bandages on his body and his eyes widen. Did Zheng Xi treat him last night? A warmth spread throughout his body and his heart pounded against his chest. Does that mean Zheng Xi still cares about him? Or is it because he didn't want blood covering his couch? He would like to believe the first option so bad. But he knew he can't just go and make assumptions right away. The fact that Xi didn't dump him in the streets was a good sign in his book. 

He winced at the jolted pain in his right lower abdomen when he caresses the area. Then his hands went up to trace all of the bandages that were on his upper torso and Jian Yi couldn't help the smile forming at the thought of Zheng Xi carefully cleaning up his body and bandaging him up while he was unconscious. He wondered what kind of expressions was his best friend making when he saw him in this beat up state.

Was it anger? Worry? Relieve that he's not dead? Disgust? Was Xi annoyed? 

He shut his eyes and shook his head. Jian Yi refuses to continue that train of thoughts and felt a shiver go up against his spine. It was then he realized that he had no shirt on and the pile of clothes sitting neatly at the desk. Of course, no underwear as always since Xi apparently must be okay with him going commando. He took a look at his own clothes, grimacing at how dirty it was. His hair is already greasy and his whole body just screamed shower, but he didn't know if Xi would be fine with him using his bathroom.

He could wait until the blue eye male comes back from school but who knows how long the latter will come back. Jian Yi debated whether or not to text him but the image of Zhan Zheng Xi getting angry and threatening to do something evil to him quickly changed his mind. He glances over at the LED clock on the desk and it read 1:45 pm. 

Wait. 

It suddenly dawns on him that he already missed a day of school. 

He's so focused on what happened last night that he totally forgot about school. Fuck! He groaned and laid back on the couch. No point in going to school now that he missed half of his classes already and it's not like he'll have his ass grass if he misses just one day of class. 

Okay, that's not true. He had already been suspended for a total of 3 days for fighting and he's sure he's missing out on so many notes. Luckily, he knew a few of his classmates who were willing to lend them their notes in case he's not at school and he raises his fist up, thanking the Gods for his generous classmates. 

The stench emitting from his body grew stronger and he knew he couldn't deny it anymore. He'll just take a quick shower and leave before Xi comes back. Jian Yi threw the blanket to the side and got up slowly to make sure his wounds didn't open, making his way over to the bathroom. He passed by Zheng Xi's room and stops walking. Curiosity got the best of him and he steps inside, taking in the neat desk and the way the bed was made. Xi's neatly desk was stationed on the left and the bookshelf was positioned by the window. He finds himself walking closer to it, his eyes scanning for one thing.

The yellow photo book that contains all of their childhood photos inside. 

It took him a while to find the photo book since Xi always hides it between some books. But when Jian Yi does finds it, his eyes light up a little and he shoves back to its original place to prevent Xi from finding out he's been in his room. Knowing that Zheng Xi still kept the photo book even when he moved out gave him hope that he could still rekindle their relationship once more. He needed to shower quickly before Xi comes back and as he prepares to leave the room, a box with a banana picture on top caught his eye.

It's just a simple box on the desk but it looks like the top was about to fall off from whatever was inside. Jian Yi bit his lip, knowing full well that he should stop now or else Xi will catch him. Something about that box was screaming at him and he couldn't put a finger on it. He eventually went over to the box and tells himself he's just going to reposition the lid so it wouldn't fall off. As he got closer, he notices that it's a letterbox.

Jian Yi gently took off the lid and the first thing he saw was his own name, written neatly on top of a white paper. 

"To Jian Yi, have you-"

The keys rattling outside nearly gave him a heart attack and he panics. Quickly shoving the lid down and ran back to the couch, trying to not make it obvious that he's been sneaking around inside Zheng Xi's room. Pain blossom across his abdomen and he sees that his wound has reopened. "Shit," Jian Yi curses. 

Should he pretend to sleep? He suddenly became extremely nervous to face his best friend right now. With his heart still pounding inside, he tries to ignore the pain and his forgotten hunger when Zhan Zheng Xi stepped into the apartment with Chinese takeout in his hand. 

Jian Yi felt his breath hitched and grips the blanket tight. His heart was still pounding and his mind whirling from what he encountered a few minutes ago. Did Xi write him letters when he was gone? His mind suddenly stops going haywire when Zheng Xi spoke up. 

"Oh, you're awake." Xi sets his school bag down and went over to Jian Yi, who looked like a deer caught in a headlight. 

"Y-Yeah. Thanks for treating my wounds." Jian Yi watches Zheng Xi taking out the Chinese takeout and places it on the table. He disappears into the kitchen and came back with two glasses of water, then sits himself down in front of Jian Yi. Zheng Xi didn't say a word as he opens up his own box and began to eat, with Jian Yi doing the same. He fumbles with the chopsticks for a bit and began eating his food. Neither boys said a word as they continue to fill their stomach and Jian Yi's heart still wouldn't stop pounding against his chest. 

"Jian Yi...we need to talk." Zheng Xi finally looks over at him with an unreadable expression.

The blonde chewed on his food and sat the takeout box down on the table. He took a sip of water and sigh, making eye contact with Zheng Xi. "Yeah, we do."


	3. Bond

"Let's start with where you disappear off to when I was in high school and don't give me a bullshit answer. I want the truth." 

Jian Yi snorted because boy, was he about to be surprised, but started choking immediately afterward because he had inhaled on a noodle too soon. He repeatedly punches his chest and Zhang Xi was on his side, patting him on the back several times until he got his breathing back to normal.

"What the fuck, Jian Yi! Chew slower next time!" Xi scolded and handed him a glass of water and Jian Yi chugs it down. Wiping his mouth, he hands it back to Xi and leans back against the couch. However, leaning back proved to be a bad idea because Jian Yi suddenly felt sharp, shooting pains throughout his lower right abdomen. 

"Fuck!" Jian Yi swore as he cranes his neck down, lifting up the shirt Xi lend him and observe the bloody wound and wince. The white bandage was now heavily soaked with his blood and his breathing suddenly became rapid.

"Shit! What did you do, idiot!" Zheng Xi quickly got up to his feet and rushed over to the blonde.

"I uh, stretch too far sorry," Jian Yi tries to play it off with a smile, but quickly became a hiss when the pain increased ten times fold.

"How can you be so careless!" Zheng Xi quickly got down on his knees and carefully peeled off the soaked bandages, his face in disgust at the amount of blood that got soaked into the white bandage. It took a lot of power for Jian Yi to sit still because he was very much ticklish. 

"Xi, it tickles!" Jian Yi squirm and Zheng Xi hit him on the head. "Stop moving or else you'll bleed to death!"

Jian Yi whines and did as he's told, trying his hardest to not flinch everytime those hands touch his wound. A wave of dizziness hits him, forcing his head back down on the couch. "Fuck, I'm getting light-headed."

"Hang in there, I'm almost done." Zheng Xi grits his teeth and he quickens his pace. Noticing Jian Yi hadn't responded as he tries to peel off the remaining bandage off and putting it into a pile on the ground, his concerns grew a bit and he gently taps Jian Yi on the face. "Jian Yi...hey. Jian Yi! Don't fucking die on me already!"

The light eyebrow male suddenly raised his hand up and grabs onto Zhan Zheng Xi's wrist with his eyes half opened. "Stop, I'm trying to get my vision to stay in one spot. I'm seeing doubles."

"Damn it. We won't make it to the hospital without you passing out so I'll have to stitch it back up. Wait here." Zhang Xi stood up and went back to his room to retrieve the medical kit he got from medical school. Once he walked back out to the living room, he sets his black bag down and proceeds to move the takeout boxes to the floor so he could arrange his equipment out on the table. He looks up one more time at Jian Yi, who had his eyes closed and thin lips pressed tightly against each other. Xi could see the sweats bead coming down and knew that the blonde must be in pain.

"Jian Yi, are still dizzy?" 

"A little bit but I'm getting better."

"Just let me know if it gets worse."

Jian Yi hums in response, casting an arm over his eyes. He wanted to joke about Xi being his nurse but he valued his life at the moment and didn't want to be thrown out and left dead on the streets. An image of a masculine Zheng Xi in a women's nurse outfit appeared in his head and he snorted, trying to cover it up with a cough.

"What's so funny?" Xi asked, still concentrating on removing all of the bandages. 

"No, it's nothing," Jian Yi smiled.

As Zheng Xi organizes the medical supplies out onto the table, he made sure each piece were placed in a certain order so that it was easier to pick out during the procedure. Jian Yi opens his eyes to watch what Xi was doing. His eyes grew wide at the sight of the hospital equipment. "Wait. You.....since when did you learn how to stitch up a wound?" 

"I'm in medical school," Zheng Xi answers him calmly and began putting on gloves. He then placed a white towel underneath Jian Yi so the blood doesn't get on his couch before instructing the blonde to lay on it. Afterward, Xi grabs a clean wet cloth and some mild soap to clean the area. Once he determined the area was clean, he applied a numbing cream on it, earning a slight jolt from Jian Yi. 

"Medical school, huh? That's weird. Didn't think you want to be a doctor, Xi." Jian Yi spoke up, fully interested now. 

"Physician Assistant." Zheng Xi corrects him and began to start stitching on the area. 

"What's the difference, you're still playing doctor." Jian Yi mumbled, staring at the white ceiling. 

"Why does it matter?

"Why are you doing it?" Jian Yi asked quietly. It wasn't like his best friend to suddenly enter medical school. Hell, he never even heard the guy talk about wanting to work in the healthcare back in middle school. But Xi probably thought of it during high school and it made Jian Yi sad to know that he missed out on so much.

"You ask a lot of questions for someone who lost a lot of blood. Thought you faint by now." Xi's forehead was forming lines, concentrating on making sure he didn't mess up the stitches. He remembered how tough the professor was on one of the students who messed up by using the wrong thread to stitch on a deep cut wound during the stitching wound checkoff and failed her the spot. Some other guy stitching skills were so terrible that he got sent home and Zhan Xi shudders at how loud the professor scolded that poor guy. It's what forced him to study and practice harder than the rest of his classmates because for one, he didn't want to fuck up and get yelled at, and two, he wants to make sure that he perfects it in case, someone he cares about required stitching. 

Which is what's happening now. Although, he didn't think his first patient would be none other than his childhood friend.

"Just trying to catch up on what my best friend's been doing for the past 3 years I've been gone. But I'm also curious as to why you chose that profession."

"Is it really that surprising? I'm done. Try not to move around so much." Xi leans back and observed his work. The stitching was done and he stood up to stretch out the tense muscles. 

"Of course! You told me you hated taking care of people the most when we were in middle school!" Jian Yi exclaimed, admiring the Xi's work before plopping himself into a sitting position. He slowly bends down to grab his food and resume eating since he was still pretty hungry.

Zhan Xi collected all of the medical equipment and proceed to clean up in the kitchen. His memory of middle school wasn't as strong as they were now because he's been busy studying medical so memories from middle school were vague.

Jian Yi took a sip of water. "On the day when you got suspended for fighting redhead and I came over to visit. I ran through the rain and got sick, so you had to go buy medicines. I wanted to tag along but you told me to stay home and that you hated taking care of people the most. It's quite a shock, to be honest."

Xi said nothing as he drys the equipment and lets them dry on the towel. "I have my reasons." He washed his hands and grabs a paper towel on his way over to the table.

"Like?" Jian Yi arched an eyebrow.

Zheng Xi resumes eating his noodles and waited for the blonde's response. "Weren't we talking about you before you almost bleed to death on my couch? Since you're fine now, start talking. Where did you go?"

The blonde slurps his noodles and stared at his best friend. Here it comes. This was the part where Xi would think he's insane. He swallowed his noodles and made eye contact with the blue eye male and exhale. 

"So these two gorillas captured me and forced me into some car, right? They didn't tell me who they were and where we were going, other than my "dad" wanting to see me, but last time I checked, I didn't even have a father! So I'm being held against my will and they sort of knocked me unconscious cause I kept trying to escape and next thing I knew, I'm on this island. Suddenly I thought of you-"

"Hold the fuck up." Xi held his hand up. This guy, was he being serious? "I think you lost too much blood."

"I'm telling you the truth!"

"So you're telling me you got kidnapped and they left you on some faraway island because your "dad" wanted to see you." Zheng Xi looks at his childhood friend skeptically, trying to make sense of what he just heard.

"Just let me finish. So I'm on the island and I see this guy in a suit walking towards me. He starts asking me these questions and then tells me he's my father. I didn't believe him of course, until he showed me a photo of him and my then pregnant mom together. Had a date and a little note behind it. You know what that note says? "Daddy and Mommy can't wait to meet you, Jian Yi." I was so speechless, I couldn't say anything."

"......"

"So then, we spoke a bit more and I decided to just get to know him. He's not that bad."

"And the kidnapping?" Xi arched an eyebrow, his arms crossed. 

Jian Yi cast his eyes on the floor. "He said that was the only way to get in touch with me since he and my mom had a nasty divorce. Something about some promise he made with her, so he wasn't allowed to pop up whenever. But, I got to know my dad more and I found out some things about him."

"Like?"

The blonde merely smiled. "Just a few things. How he has photos of me from when I was a baby and up to now. Apparently, my mom kept him updated and when he heard I was going to enter high school, he chose that time to kidnap me."

Zhang Xi kept quiet, trying to process all of the information. If Jian Yi said he wasn't a bad guy and that all the guy wanted was to bond with his son, wouldn't he want his son to not miss high school? 

"I don't understand why your dad is okay with you missing high school if you say he's a good guy. Wouldn't all fathers want their kid to go to high school after middle school and not have to redo high school in their....early 20's? I mean you can get a lot of bonding after a year but 3 years? What the fuck. Is that what you did for the past 3 years? Bond with your long existent father in some island?" Xi continues, staring at the blonde.

"Pretty much, yeah. It took 3 whole years and there were times when he went to work and I was bored as hell. I had my phone confiscated so I couldn't call anyone. Wanna know the funny part? I found out that a long time ago when my parents divorced, each was granted one condition. My mom's was that he doesn't get near me so freely and requires permission each time." He got quiet for a few minutes and looked up the ceiling. 

"My dad's were that when I graduated middle school, I was to go to him and stay with him throughout high school. My mom never even told me. I had to find all this out from a guy who I never fucking met and who ended up being my dad. My own mother. Can you believe it? Couldn't she have warned me? I missed out on high school with you because of that! I deserve to know! Fuck!" Jian Yi slammed a fist down hard on his table, getting angry now. He sighs and ruffles his hair. "Sorry."

"......You said throughout high school. Then why are you back?"

"Don't want me here?" Jian Yi smirked, tilting his head to the side.

"That's not what I meant, bastard. Don't tell me you escaped."

"And if I did?" Jian Yi smirks grew wider. "Why do you think I'm all bruised and cut, Xi?~ I got caught and so now, I'm in hiding."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All characters belong to Old Xian!

"Please tell me you're joking." Zheng Xi pinched the bridge of his nose. It never fails to amaze him that even when the blonde finally came back, trouble still followed the damn idiot. 

Jian Yi remains silent. Maybe joking isn't the best time right now, considering their relationship isn't the same. "Yeah, I am. I actually got these injuries because I was fighting in school. Surprise!"

Zheng Xi landed a punch and Jian Yi cradle his cheek. He sort of expected that but he didn't think the guy would actually hit him since he's injured and all. "That hurts, Xi! I was just joking." The pale eyes pouted. 

"I have enough of your bullshit. Hurry up and finish so you can get out of my house. I have a group coming over to discuss a project."

"Aw, why can't I stay and meet them? I'm curious to see other medical students too~" Jian Yi smiles cheekily. He wasn't kidding when he said he's curious to meet them. It'll be nice to see Zheng Xi and the rest of the medical students discussing doctor things.

Truth to be told, Jian Yi thinks Zheng Xi in a doctor's coat would be really hot. He can picture the guy making all the nurses sworn over his handsome look, but his imagination was cut off short as Xi spoke up. 

"No, you already caused me trouble. Now go home and go do your homework or whatever." Zheng Xi gathered the empty takeout boxes and went to go throw them in the trash. 

"Don't you want to hear the rest of how I came back?" Jian Yi asked, in a more serious tone. Zhang Xi turns to look at him and crossed his arms. "If you start saying something nonsense again, I'll reopen that wound and leave you on the streets to bleed to death."

"So harsh, Xi. A physician assistant in training should be helping their patients, not hurt them." Jian Yi smirked and leaned back against the couch. The two had a stare off and Zhang Xi closed his eyes, sighing. "Just hurry up and tell me how."

"It was quite simple. I asked my dad if I can come back and he lets me on one condition. Call him every once in a while to let him know what I'm up too."

"What about your mom?"

Jian Yi stares off into a distance. "I was going to tell her the truth, anyway. Then ask her some more questions about my dad. Although, I don't know if my mom is still at that place. What if she left and sold the house?" Jian Yi ponders out loud. He didn't even think about contacting his mom since he came back. Zhan Xi was the only thing occupied in his mind, but it didn't occur to him that he may not even have a home to come to now. 

Would Zheng Xi lets him stay in his apartment if he did become homeless and have no place to stay? He'll definitely get a part-time job to help with the rent, but he knew asking such a question would result in a straight up rejection answer. Sighing inwardly, Jian Yi watches Xi prepare the drinks for his classmates and he watches in silence

"Xi, what do you think?~"

"Go see for yourself if you still have a home."

"But if I don't, will you let stay at your apartment?"

"Hell no!" 

Jian Yi threw his head back and smirked. Of course. "But why not? I'll help with the rent! It'll be fun for us living together, don't you think?"

"No. You'll break everything and I'm not going to have you do that when I'm not in the apartment."

"But Xi-"

A knock on the door interrupted on what he was about to say. Jian Yi shuts his mouth instantly as he watches Zheng Xi leaves to opens the door. Two males and a female greeted Xi and took off their shoes. Jian Yi could hear the commotion from the door and prepared himself to greet them. One particular student caught his eye and when their eyes met, the girl's breath hitched.

"Jian Yi?" The girl gasps, covering her mouth with her hands. 

".......Yo," the blonde greets with a smile, but it doesn't reach his eyes. He could see the uncertainty swimming in her eyes and how she made it obvious that he wasn't someone she wanted to see in Xi's house. The feeling is mutual. What was she even doing here? Unless...his thoughts are interrupted as the girl speaks up.

"H-how are you? It's been a long time since I last seen you." the girl spoke up hesitantly, clutching the end of her shirt. 

From the corner of his eyes, Jian Yi could see Zheng Xi talking with the other guys, so he shifts his attention back to the girl who used to have a crush on his best friend, Xiao Hui. He takes in her appearance and it seems that she hasn't really changed except her hair is much shorter and she seems to look more like a woman. He doesn't want to admit it but Xiao Hui has grown into a beautiful woman. 

"I've been doing well, what about yourself? Are you here to do a project with Zhan Xi?" Jian Yi tilts his head, smiling politely. He watches the way she shakes her head and gives him a smile. "Yes, we go to the same school."

That statement causes a feeling of uneasiness to nestled inside Jian Yi's stomach. "Interesting. So what kind of doctor do you want to be?" 

Xiao Hui seems to beam at the question and her eyes lit up. "I want to become a pediatrician! I've always loved working with kids. Zheng Xi told me that I'll be a good doctor one day back in high school and I believe in his words. I hope classmate Zhang Xi and I could work together one day in the same hospital..."Realizing that she had said too much, her face turns crimson and she laughs nervously, waving her hands in the air. "A-ah, I said something unnecessary again."

Jian Yi's lip is pressed into a thin line.

"Xiao Hui! We're gonna go over the project now." Zheng Xi came out from his room and his eyes landed on Jian Yi, a frown replacing his lips. "Jian Yi, you're still here?" He shifted his attention back to the girl. "Go into my room, the guys are already starting on the project. I need to talk to Jian Yi for a bit."

"Okay!" This time, her smile reaches her eyes. But Jian Yi doesn't smile back when she gives him a small smile and goes into Xi's room and the atmosphere then grows heavy. The blonde couldn't suppress the jealousy bubbling deep in the pits of his stomach and when Zheng Xi finally turns his attention back to him, he's standing up. Seeing Xiao Hui brought back memories from middle school and he didn't want to stay in the apartment any longer.

They're both at eye level now. That is until Jian Yi cast his eyes downward for a split second before looking back into those blue eyes and breaking into a smile. "Didn't think you and Xiao Hui became friends in high school and up till now. Does she still like you?" 

Zheng Xi says nothing and turns away to grab Jian Yi's school bag. "Don't ask such a stupid question and go home. Don't get into any trouble and take care of those stitches." He hands Jian Yi the bag, which the latter accepts. 

"I know, I know. Just answer my question, Xi and I'll be out of your hair. I'm a bit curious since she used to be infatuated with you back in middle school." He could've just left right after Xi gave him the bag, but the words were out of his mouth before he knew it and he couldn't take it back now. 

"No. She's just a classmate. Go home and rest, Jian Yi. I'll call and check up on you later."

The blonde smiles and instead of answering walks over to the door and stared at Xi. He rather not think about Xiao Hui anymore. "I can't bend down, help me." He bit back a smile when Zheng Xi rolls his eyes and watches as the latter puts on his shoes for him and ties the string for him. 

Jian Yi is out of the door and is on his way home. But he's in no rush to come home because he still doesn't know if his mom is still there. With each footstep, he winces slightly and when he nears a convenience store, his stomach chooses that moment to growl. But he ignores it and keeps on walking because he wasn't in the mood to cook. He'll probably shower and get some homework done, eat a toast or something, and then sleep. 

He took 5 steps and stops, remembering how his mom wouldn't come home sometimes and their house hardly has any food in it when she's gone. Starving overnight didn't sound at all pleasant and he turns back around, the a/c hitting his warm skin as he enters the bright building. None of the customers paid him mind and he went straight to the ramen section. Packages of ramen noodles aren't considered real food, but that's what he normally buys when his mom doesn't buy groceries.

He picks up a pack of spicy noodles and a couple of snacks along the way to the register. When he strolled past the drug isle, he decided to pick up some pain meds. He goes to pay and leaves the cool store, his mind still fixated on Zheng Xi. He finally reaches home and the apartment is quiet. Silently unlocking the door, he is welcomed by darkness, unsurprisingly. 

"I'm home," he speaks softly and turns on the lights. Nothing seems out of place and he sets the grocery bags down on the kitchen table. 

"Mom?" He calls out and checked inside her room, only to find it dark and empty. It shouldn't be a surprise to see her not being present but considering he's been gone for 3 years, he at least expected to see her in a frenzied state when he came back. He once called his mom when she didn't come home for a while, but when some muscular looking dude showed up at his door telling him to behave with a bag of cash, he just stopped.

Whatever his mom does in secret isn't much of an interest to him. But he's starting to wonder if her work is related to his father in any way and he made a mental note to ask her about it whenever she comes back. If she comes back, that is. Jian Yi then went straight to his room to grab some clothes for a hot shower. He's too tired at this point to keep thinking and closes the bathroom door. 

Back in Zhan Zheng Xi's apartment, Zhan Xi couldn't concentrate on his project because he's too distracted by what Jian Yi said earlier. What if he really doesn't have a home now? The last time he went to go visit the blonde's mom, she told him she was going somewhere and never returned. He could picture Jian Yi's face upon coming home to an empty house and something stirs inside his heart. It's an unpleasant feeling.

With a quiet, long sigh, he excuses himself from the group and steps outside of his room. He walks into the living room and looks through his list of contacts on his mobile for a specific name, his thumb pausing at the doubt forming in his mind. Even though he told Jian Yi that he'll call him later to check up on him, he decided to call a certain someone to do it. 

But more likely to tell that person the news of Jian Yi's return. 

Zheng Xi press on the name and holds his phone up against his ear, waiting. 

"Yo~"

"..He Tian. I have to tell you something. Do you have time right now?" He could hear Guan Shan saying something in the background, but couldn't make out what the words were. 

"Yeah, I just came out from the grocery store with Guan Shan. What's going on?"

"It's Jian Yi."

Silence. 

"........What about him?"

Xi swallowed and place a hand on his knee, leaning forward. "He's back. He was at my apartment severely injured and I had to patch him up. The idiot came to my place bleeding and bruised up and...-"

"And?"

"- and I was wondering if you could go check up on him for me right now. I sent him home instead of letting him stay at my place because I'm with my group to do a project. You and Guan Shan could go together."

"I don't mind. But why do you want us to go check up on him? He's not planning on doing anything stupid, is he?"

Xi sighs. "I don't know, it's Jian Yi we're talking about here. I told him I would call him later but it looks like this project is going to take up the whole night and I called you to see if you could go there to make sure he didn't have his wound reopened."

"We'll go over there right now. Good luck on your project."

Relief washed over Zheng Xi and he stood up from his couch. "Thanks, man. I owe you one."

"It's no big deal." 

He Tian ended the call and slung an arm over Guan Shan's shoulder. "Looks like we'll be visiting an old friend, Mo~"


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All Characters belong to Old Xian!

"No way, Jian Yi is back? Where the hell did that guy go?" Guan Shan mutters, munching on a red bean dumpling. 

He Tian took a bite of his own dumpling. "Yeah. Zheng Xi didn't tell me where he went other than the idiot came back all injured. So now, he wants us to go check up on Jian Yi to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid to prevent any wounds reopening."

The two were currently on their way to the blonde's house in the middle of the night. The streets were practically empty with no visible signs of life at this time of the hour. Guan Shan kept frowning the entire way, not sure how he would feel once he sees the blonde again. But to hear that the guy came back with wounds only fuel his curiosity and his thoughts were interrupted by an arm slung over his shoulder. 

"You're thinking about something?" He Tian leads them around a corner and they continue to walk straight down a neighborhood that caused Guan Shan to remember a certain someone. Zhan Zheng Xi would often stop by Jian Yi's house and just stand there, doing nothing. It's not like the redhead was following the guy or anything, he happened to just stumbled upon the sight when he was taking a walk around the neighborhood by himself at night. He felt a slight squeeze on his shoulder and glance over to He Tian, who had a worried expression. "What's wrong?"

A slight blush appears on his cheeks and Guan Shan crane his neck forward, a bit embarrassed that he caught himself "worrying" for their friend. If you would call it worrying, that is. "I'm thinking about those time when Zheng Xi would come visit Jian Yi's apartment and just stand there, staring. Now that blondie's back, I wonder how Zheng Xi is feeling." 

He Tian ponders for a minute. "He sounded a bit concern over the phone a while ago. But since Zheng Xi doesn't share what he's thinking often, I'm sure that he's angry that Jian Yi is back now."

"How are you so sure?" Guan Shan furrows his eyebrows, eating the last bite of his dumpling and licking his fingers afterward. 

"Well, if the person I care about suddenly left without a word and came back three years later all injured, I'd be pissed too. So don't ever leave my side, Guan Shan. Unlike Xi, I won't be so forgiving like he is." He Tian tightened his hold on the redhead, who rolled his eyes. 

"Idiot, I'm the one who should be telling you that."

"Oh yeah? What would you do if I left like Jian Yi did?" He Tian slide his arm down so that it's resting on the smaller male's waist. Jian Yi's apartment finally comes into view a few minutes later and the two took their time walking over there.

Guan Shan scoffs. "I'd pretend you never existed and continue to live my life. Maybe even find me a man and we'll have great sex-". A pair of lips crashed into his and his body collided against a strong chest. He didn't hesitate to wrap his own arms around He Tian's neck and the two proceed to have a make-out session under the gazing of the moon. 

When they parted, Guan Shan's face is flushed and his lips are swollen. Neither said a word as He Tian gently touched forehead against his boyfriend's and growls. "I'll kill anyone who touches you. You're mine, got it? From the tip of your hair to your toenails, everything is mine. Especially, your heart." He then softly pecks the other on the lips. 

The redhead laughs softly and gently cups He Tian's face. "Then you better stay by my side and not leave, bastard." He leans in for another kiss and He Tian gladly responds, his arms never leaving his boyfriend's waist. He Tian leans back and proceeds to leave a trail of kisses down Guan Shan's neck, causing the redhead to whine and try to push the taller male away. "He Tian, stop it, we're in public!"

But of course, his stubborn ass boyfriend wouldn't listen. "Mmmm, no one's going to see us. It's late at night too." He Tian smirked when he successfully left a mark on the redhead's neck and laughs loudly when he got kicked in the stomach. Not hard enough to leave a bruise, of course. 

"Fucking bastard, we have to go check on Jian Yi so control that horny ass level of yours and come on!" Guan Shan didn't bother waiting for his boyfriend and walked full speed over to Jian Yi's house, ignoring the male calling his name. 

"Little Mo, wait up~!"

"Guan Shan!~"

He Tian pouted when the redhead didn't even turn around so with his horns and tail popping out, he grins wide. "You have a great ass, by the way. Can I tap that?!" He quickly avoided a stick coming to his way and sniggers at the flush face glaring at him. 

"Keep it down, idiot! Do you want the whole neighborhood to hear you?!" Guan Shan hissed, preparing to throw his shoe if the black hair male starts to sprout unnecessary bullshit again. This time, he waits for his boyfriend to come over who didn't hesitate to throw an arm over his shoulder once more. 

"You're the one being loud here. Besides, you do have a fine booty, if I say so myself." He Tian gropes the red head's butt and pulls his cute blushing boyfriend closer to him, placing a kiss on his temple. 

The redhead only mumbled incoherent words and the two are now standing in front of Jian Yi's door. He watches as He Tian knocks on the door and his breath hitched when the door opened 5 minutes later. Jian Yi had his hand on the doorknob and the other on his hip. His hair was all over the place and his eyes are barely kept opened.

Neither said a word, mainly because the Tianshan couple were too shocked themselves to actually be standing in front of their old friend who had been missing, and Jian Yi was still half asleep to acknowledge who the visitors are. 

"Yes?" Jian Yi said groggily, his eyes desperately trying to remain open but to no avail. He was actually in the middle of dreaming about Xi when someone knocked on the door. When 5 minutes passed, He Tian released his arm around Guan Shan and stepped closer to the blonde. "Jian Yi?"

Upon hearing his name and the familiarity of the voice, Jian Yi's eyes snap wide open with sleep still lingering in the back of his head. His eyes grew comically wide when he sees He Tian and Guan Shan staring at him. "H-He Tian? Guan Shan? How did you guys-?"

"Zheng Xi called me and told us to come check up on you. It seems that you're doing just fine." He Tian interrupted and Guan Shan could only stare at the blonde, speechless. He looked so damn thin and the redhead could see the bruises on Jian Yi's legs. 

The blonde's eyes soften at the mention of his best friend name and a small smile spread across his lips. "Oh. I see. Thanks for checking up on me, but as you guys can see, I'm fine." To prove his point, he lifted up his shirt and watches the way both the Tianshan's eyes almost popped out of their socket from seeing the stitches. "He stitched me up real good and I've been extra careful to make sure it didn't reopen." 

"Fucking hell, what happened to you?" Guan Shan whispered. He couldn't take his eyes off of the bruise on the stomach and the stitches on the right lower abdomen. The yellowish purple color was also near the groin area and his eyes couldn't stop roaming around the pale body now littered with bruises and small cuts. From his peripheral vision, he notices the way He Tian's body gone rigid so he gently intertwines their fingers, successfully calming down the black hair male. 

"Whoa, so you guys ended up together? Congrats~" Jian Yi grins and leans against the door with his arms crossed. "Anyways, if that's all, then you two may leave. I'd like to get some sleep cause I'm actually really tired right now. But it was nice seeing you two again. I'm glad you're doing well." He meant it. He knew how rocky their relationship was back in the old days and to see the two finally together made him smile warmly.

Even if he and He Tian aren't what people call close friends, he's glad that his lonely friend finally found someone and to think it'd be with the redhead. He sort of knew that at some point, they would become a couple despite the way their personality clashes, those two weren't all that different from one another. Just when he thought they would leave, he froze at the sudden movement.

He Tian and Guan Shan didn't say anything but held their friend, who's sandwich in the middle, tight but careful to not hurt him in the process. Guan Shan was glad that no one was awake right now because anyone witnessing this would think it's pretty weird to see three guys hugging each other in the middle of the night. But all of that doesn't matter at the moment because Jian Yi was back alive. Even though he looked like a fucking corpse. 

He and He Tian may not show it, but they were really concerned when their loud ass friend suddenly went missing and to see Zheng Xi lose himself with each passing day broke their heart. This idiot had no idea how many times they had to force Xi to get out of his house so the latter doesn't stay hole up inside his apartment. So seeing Jian Yi again and in one piece despite the injuries had relief washing over him. He Tian must have thought the same thing when he went to go hug Jian Yi the same time he went up.

"G-Guys?" Jian Yi's voice came out small. It only made Guan Shan hug him tighter and he could feel He Tian doing the same. Jian Yi got so thin that if anyone saw them right now, they would only see him and He Tian hugging. 

"Shut up. You may not get this again, idiot. Do you know how worried we were? You finally come back and you're all wounded, then you tell us to fucking leave after we came all this way to see you?" If there's one thing most people didn't know, is that Guan Shan had a really soft heart and seeing those stitches moved something inside him. He couldn't imagine what Jian Yi had to go through and it frustrated him that it affected him so much. 

He Tian laughed quietly and pulled the two males into his arms closer. "Guan Shan's right, Jian Yi. You better not disappear like this again. Zheng Xi went through a lot because of you and we're relieved to see you came back...in one piece. But you look like the walking dead, are you sure you didn't rise out of a coffin?" 

Guan Shan lightly slapped He Tian on the arm. "Now's not the time for jokes, bastard. He Tian's right. You look like a corpse. You better be prepared for me to fatten your skinny ass up again. The hell have you been living on, toast and butter? No wonder you got so many bruises, you ain't got any fucking strength with those small ass muscles of yours to be fighting!" 

All three of them knew that the redhead's word contains no heat in it, but they all could hear the emotions underlying those statements. Jian Yi could feel the waterworks coming and his head dropped onto He Tian's shoulder while his hands grip onto Guan Shan's hands, tightly. He didn't think anyone would care if he came back and seeing that these two actually were concern about him and are actually relieved to see him, made his lips trembled. He had been so sure that Xi would welcome him back with open arms but to see these two..... He couldn't hold back the tears and began to sob quietly. 

"Fuck! Are you hurt anywhere right now?" The redhead instantly back away in alarm, checking the blonde's body to see if there was any bleeding when he heard crying. He Tian also released the crying male and went lift up the shirt, but when he saw that the wound didn't reopen, he slowly released the hems of the shirt. 

Jian Yi shook his head from side to side, snots dripping down his nose. "N-No. I'm just happy that you guys came to check up on me when you didn't have to. I'm sorry for causing trouble and having Xi called you guys to come." He hiccups and rubbed his eyes.

He Tian smiles and ruffled the soft hair. "Even if Zheng Xi didn't call for us to come check up on you, we'd come visit you, dumbass."

"Yeah, we're friends, aren't we?" Guan Shan scoffs. At that, Jian Yi's head whirled around and his eyes glimmer at the redhead and He Tian chuckled at the reaction. "F-Friends?" Did he hear him right? He remembered the redhead denying their friendship and wouldn't acknowledge him as a friend, so to hear it coming from the guy's mouth himself shocked him so much. "I thought you s-said we weren't-"

"Idiot." Guan Shan interrupted, a blush adorning his cheeks and he scratches the back of his neck. This was embarrassing for him to even admit. "You said so yourself, remember? When you interrupted my talk with She Li back in middle school."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All characters belong to Old Xian! Enjoy~

Zheng Xi finally could breathe again as he steps out of the skill's lab. He had just finished performing the central caterer skill in front of one the toughest professor and successfully passed it. Now that he's finished with his skill check off, he grabs his belongings and made his way over to the cafeteria for a quick late lunch. 

Wiping the sweat from his forehead and pushing his hair back, he smiles politely at the professors walking by and maneuver over to the food stands to purchase a Japanese bento. One of the few great things about this medical school was that they offered a variety of food from different countries to choose from at a reasonable price. He pays for the food and decided to eat outside where he could get some fresh air since he desperately needed to cool his head down.

As he enjoys the food, his minds drifted to Jian Yi and his mouth forms a frown, wondering if the blonde was doing okay. It didn't occur to the physician assistant in training that he completely forgot to hand his childhood friend a numbing cream after forcing him out of his apartment until around 3 am in the morning when he was sorting out his bag to prepare for today's skill check off. He thought about going over there today to check up on him to make sure the guy wasn't dead on the couch or picking at his stitches because he knew how clumsy the blonde could get. 

Zheng Xi nearly choked on his egg at the thought of Jian Yi having to move like a robot for the next few days and he laughed softly. He Tian had told him that Jian Yi was doing well and he was grateful that the guy agreed to check up on the blonde for him since medical school has taken over his life. 

"Zheng Xi classmate?"

He looks over to his right side to see his classmate, Xiao Hui smiling at him from above. She was in her white scrubs today with a stuffed animal hanging around her neck and a mini plushie sticking out from her shirt pocket. Her hair was neatly tied back with a few loose strands on the side of her flushed face. "May I sit here?"

"Yeah."

With a big smile on her face, she sits herself down and plops her lunch box onto her lap. They were both currently sitting on top of the stone stairs with a waterfall in front of them. "I heard that Professor Fei Long's class were doing the skill checks off today for the central catheter. How did it go? Did you pass?" She pops a sausage into her mouth. 

Xi took a sip of his water. "A couple of students and I passed, although some were unfortunate. I had one of the toughest professors, Professor Tao, to watch me perform and I thought I would develop tachycardia the entire time. When's your check off? It's also today, right?" 

Xiao Hui giggles and took a sip of her own drink, nodding. "My check off is after this, so in about an hour. I heard Professor Tao wasn't all that mean if you followed his rules correctly."

The brown hair male scoffs and continues to eat the remaining of his lunch. "Even if we all followed his rules, he's never satisfied with us trainees until we actually graduate. You're lucky you don't have to deal with him."

"That's true. But he's only tough on you guys because it's better to make fewer mistakes when you go out in the real world. But it's good that you passed!" Xiao Hui then sighs, staring at the waterfall. "Even if I don't have to deal with him, there's this female professor who would get on our ass if we arrived a minute late to the rotation. It's just one minute late, why the hell is she so serious about it?" She turns to look at the male and her cheeks grew red at his stare. 

"W-What?"

"It's just that this is my first time hearing you use a curse word," Xi chuckles and ate the last piece of meat before putting the lid back on top of the bento box. "But one minute can make a difference. It's the same with grades, having additional points even if it's by one point can make a difference."

Xiao Hui seems to ponder for a bit as she chews on her rice. "That's true. But I wish she was nicer. But anyway, enough about that. We wouldn't them to randomly pop up while we're talking about them. Zheng Xi, can I ask you a question?"

Zheng Xi met her gaze and he nodded. "Shoot." He reaches for his juice and stuck a straw in the hole. 

"I-It's about Jian Yi."

Upon hearing his name, he pauses to look over to the nervous girl. "What about him?"

"I've been wanting to ask you about him back in high school but never got the courage to do so. Now that he's back, I'm curious to know where he went. B-but it's fine if you don't want to tell me! I'm sorry to have brought it up."

"No, it's alright. He...." Xi quiets for a bit, wondering what to tell her other than the fact that his childhood friend got kidnapped. "....had business with his father in a different country so he left to go see him."

"He left China? To where, exactly?" Xiao Hui stares at him with curious eyes. She certainly wasn't expecting for the blonde to leave the country and nor did she expect for him to return either. So when she had arrived in Zheng Xi's apartment and saw the lanky male on the couch, she was so shocked. 

"Go figure, only Jian Yi knows. Anyways, I gotta go make a call. See you around and good luck on your skill check off today!" He stood up and collected his belongings, then waves goodbye at her. The girl forces a smile on her face and thanks him as she watches him enter the parking lot. Later, her smile dropped and she pouts. Just when she thought she could get closer to Zheng Xi and hopefully fill in that void Jian Yi created when he disappeared, the guy came back. When Jian Yi suddenly left, she was worried about Zheng Xi because the guy basically wasn't functioning properly. He hardly ate and would lose sleep and she knew because of his dark circles. It took that He Tian guy and that delinquent redhead to help him recover and she would always try to be by his side whenever possible. Even went as far to try and replace Jian Yi's presence with her own, in hopes that Zheng Xi could be open up his heart to her. Maybe even rethink about accepting her feelings, which never died down even if they're in medical school together.

When the time for her skill check off draws near, she stood up and smooth out her scrubs. As she gets close to the building, she dumps the bento into the trash and made her way to the restroom to wash her hands in preparation for her skill check off. That doesn't mean her chances with him are impossible. She just needed time and patience to open up his heart to her. After drying her hands, she exits and walks to the skill lab. 

Xi took out his phone from his pocket and began hits speed dial as he walks to his car. Since he didn't have class today after performing the skill check off, he figured he would come to check up on the guy. "Did he eat yet?" He muttered, debating whether he should also buy him food. But then again, he knew Guan Shan would be responsible for feeding the blonde but that doesn't mean it's a 24/7 thing for the redhead since he's busy with culinary school. 

Making up his mind, he starts the engine and reverse out of the student's parking lot. When the call has gone to voice mail, he frowns and checks the time. It's a quarter past 4 pm so that means Jian Yi should be done with school unless he has cleaning duties. He closed his phone and place his phone in the cup holder, then drives into a food fast restaurant to order a box of fried chicken and dumplings with drinks to go with it. 

Halfway to Jian Yi's house, his phone rang and he stops at a stop light. He picks up his mobile and checks the caller, seeing his best friend name on the screen. When the light turns green, he has one hand on the steering wheel and the other against his ear. He knows it's dangerous to be on the phone while driving but he also didn't want to deal with Jian Yi's endless calling if he doesn't pick up.

"Hello?"

"Xi! You called me?"

Zheng Xi turns a corner and takes a short detour. "Yeah, just wanted to check up on you. What are you doing right now?"

"I just finished my cleaning duties and am now going home."

The thick eyebrow male could hear a couple of females saying something in the background and waits until the blonde finish thanking them for their hard work. "Have you been taking care of the stitches?"

"Yes, sir. I've been careful to not let it reopen. But it hurts to move around from time to time. Are you still at school?" 

"No, I'm on my way to your apartment and brought food. I have to check your stitches and wounds to make sure they're healing properly, so wait for me." Turning on his left signal, he makes a left turn and the familiar neighborhood comes into view. 

"You know I'll always wait for you."

That statement would've affected him if they were still in their teens but now that he's older, he hardly is fazed by it. "I'll see you later, Jian Yi. Bye." 

"Mmkay. Bye bye." Jian Yi ends the call and unlocks the door. He heads into his room to change out of his uniform and went into the living room. A smile broke on his face when he heard Zheng Xi brought food and grab his phone. His smile then drops at remembering what he had said earlier and he ruffles his hair.

"You know I'll always wait for you? Geez, I'm such a dumbass," Jian Yi chuckles lightly and went over to his couch. With extra slow movements, he finally settles down on the couch and checks his phone for any messages from his mom. It's not a surprise to see none and he tossed his phone aside. Just then, a knock on the door grabs his attention and he slowly stood back up, walking towards the door. He opens it and is greeted by his favorite presence in the entire world. 

"Zhan Xi!"

"You didn't eat yet, right?" 

Jian Yi shook his head and steps aside to let the other latter inside, his eyes settling on the bag of goodies. "Nope! I'm actually starving so you came right on time!"

"Let me check your stitches first before we eat," Zheng Xi position the bag of food on top of the dining table and his medical bag on the floor. He then turns around and walks on over to the blonde, motioning for him to sit on the couch and lift up his shirt to which the latter comply wordlessly.

Xi carefully observes the stitches and spots the redness around the area. "Does it hurt right now?" He glimpses up at Jian Yi for an answer. 

"Only when I move." Jian Yi tried to smile it off but Zheng Xi could see that the other was in a little bit of pain. He quickly grabs the numbing cream from his bag and a fresh pair of gloves. Walking back to the couch, he puts on the light blue gloves and opens the white tube, and squeeze a small amount onto the tip of his fingers. With a gentle movement, he begins applying the cream on the red area in circular motion.

Jian Yi made a noise and Zheng Xi is quick to stop. "What's wrong?"

"It's cold." The blonde is trying his hardest to not move a muscle and in order to distract his thoughts, he merely lets his eyes roam over Zheng Xi's dark blue scrub. He has to admit that his best friend looked really nice in scrubs and not in those nurse outfit he had expected. 

"Hang in there for a bit. It won't take long."

The process took about 10 minutes and when Xi finishes applying the cream, he takes out the white gauzes and wrapped the area to allow the numbing cream to soak into the skin. Once he finishes, he went to go dispose of his gloves and wash his hands in the sink. 

"How long do I need to keep the stitches in, Xi?"

"A couple of more days. Your wounds are still in the process of mending itself. As for the bruises, it looks much better now."

Yi softly grazes his fingers against the bandage, a smile forming on his lips. Geez, it wasn't even a big deal but it was enough to make his heart beat fast.

Once Xi dries his hands, he sat down on the wooden chair. He thought about leaving right after but decided against it. It wouldn't hurt to stay for a while until the blonde finished eating and then he'll leave. "Hey. Come over here and eat, the food will get cold." 

Jian Yi's eyes lit up and broke into a wide smile, remembering the food. He carefully stood up and approach the table, his mouth practically watering at this point. Not even waiting for his best friend, he immediately digs into the dumplings and moans in approval.

"So delicious! Try it, Xi!"

"I already ate."

"Booooo. You're missing out delicious foods. Look at this dumping! It's so fluffy!" Jian Yi says excitedly, holding up the fluffiest dumping out of the rest in his hands.

Zheng Xi sat with his arms crossed, his eyes trained on the blonde who wouldn't stop stuffing his face. Jian Yi must have been really hungry, he thought. "Slow down, you'll choke." 

Jian Yi swallowed the fried chicken and grins. "If I did, you'll save me right?" That earned him a hit on the head and he pouts. "Why did you hit me for?!"

"Idiot, I won't be there every time something happens to you." The thick eyebrows male ignored the puppy eyes thrown at him and decided to go on his phone. He went to check his email to see if his professor had sent anything of importance. When receiving no such email, he exists out of the tab and his eyes landed on the table.

The box of dumplings was empty with a couple of fried chickens left in the box. Sipping on coke, Jian Yi let out a burp and pats his stomach with a satisfied smile on his face. "Thank you for the food, Zhan Xi."

They both gaze into each other's eyes for a bit, neither saying a word. Zheng Xi is the first to look away as he stands up and retrieve his bag. "Well, since you're doing just fine now, I'll be leaving."

"Eh? Are you leaving already? But you just got here!" 

"I have to go study and focus on my upcoming rotation soon, idiot. Go do your homework and don't get into any more trouble, got it?"

"But Xi! Let's hang out for a bit! I even got you a thank you gift for treating me real good." Jian Yi grins wide, standing up. 

Zheng Xi narrowed his eyes. "What is it?" 

Jian Yi speed walks into his room and came out with a game disc in his hand. The blonde then puts on hand on his hip and waved the object in the air. "It's the new game you wanted. I skipped a class to go get it for you. Here you go. Take it as repayment for all of this." The blond made gestures to his abdomen and then looked at his best friend with a smile. 

Zhan Xi stared at the game, a bit speechless because the last time he mentioned this game was back in middle school. He sighs and tucks the game into his bag. "I can't hang today but I'll try to make time somewhere next week."

"Really?!"

"Yeah. Now I really have to go, thanks for the game. Stay out of trouble and call He Tian if something happened! Also, I left you the numbing cream on the counter. Use it when the pain gets too much but it's recommended to use it after you shower. That's all. Don't neglect your school work, got it?" 

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks again. Drive safe~!"

Xi exited out of the apartment and closed the door. He then steps inside the elevator and enters the parking lot. From the corner of his eye, he saw Jian Yi leaning against the door as he starts his engine. Ignoring the wave the blonde gave him, he drives home with his hands tightening the steering wheel. He knows that he told the blonde that he would make time next week, but it's not guaranteed since his exams were coming up. But it doesn't matter if he could or not, he knows Jian Yi would understand. 

After watching the car disappeared, Jian Yi turns back around and went back inside. Going up the elevator, he leans back in a bliss. He's been worried that his best friend would cast him aside when he came back, but it doesn't look like Xi is intending to do that. Hopefully. 

If there's one thing Jian Yi knows about Zheng Xi, it's that the guy could hold his temper really well. But the fact that the guy personally came here to deliver him food and check up on him made his heart rate go up and question whether his best friend was still angry at him or not. He smiles and shook his head to get rid of the thought. Even if Xi was mad at him still, he'll just have to rebuild that bridge slowly. 

The elevator opens and as he steps his foot out, his feet halts at his unexpected visitor approaching his way. 

"So the rumor was true. Looks like little blondie is back, after all." The male figure smirked, making his way over to the frozen blonde. 

"You-?!" 

"Well, aren't you going to compensate me for the emotional damage?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All characters belong to Old Xian! Enjoy~

"Well, aren't you going to compensate me for the emotional damage?" The silver hair male smirked, making his way over to his favorite blonde. 

Jian Yi's mouth goes dry. "S-She Li!"

"I thought you were dead in a ditch somewhere since I didn't see you at all in high school. Do you know how bored I was when a certain blondie didn't bump into me as usual?"

"You couldn't have gotten a substitute?" The blonde joked and he leans back as the silver hair male zoom into his face.

She Li smirks grew wider and leans forward. "I prefer the real thing standing in front of me right now."

"Yeah well, it was nice seeing you but I'm going home now. Bye!" Geez, even if he's gotten older, She Li still creeps him out sometimes. Jian Yi practically speed walk to his apartment, but halts when he senses a presence behind him. He quickly turns around to see She Li calmly following him.

"Um, why are you following me? That's kind of creepy."

"I live here." She Li responded and walked past the frozen blonde. Seeing the blonde's priceless expression causes him to laugh.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What do you mean you live here?! When did this happen?!" Jian Yi asked in bewilderment.

"Right now if you weren't googly eyes at that boy of yours." 

Jian Yi was about to protest when he finally notices the moving men carrying a few boxes that had "She Li" written on it. How in the world did he miss them? But then again, his eyes were only on Xi so it's no wonder he wasn't aware of these guys coming in. The thought of having She Li as his neighbor makes him groan and he leans against the door dejectedly. It's bad enough that he had to deal with the creep in middle school. 

"What's with the sullen face?" A voice too close to his liking asked him and the blonde flinch back at the sudden presence. 

"Ah, it's nothing. Welcome to the neighborhood, I hope you find this place to your liking," Jian Yi says with light sarcasm.

"You don't sound welcoming at all." 

That's because he's not, but Jian Yi isn't going to admit that out loud. He wanted to ask the other why he decided to move to the apartment complex, but Jian Yi was tired and he had homework to do right now. Ignoring the response, Jian Yi merely smiles and unlocks his apartment. "If you'll excuse me, I have some homework to do." 

"Not going to invite me in-?" But Jian Yi had already slammed the door shut and even locked it for safety precaution. Taking a deep breath, he releases a sigh and strolled on over to his room while scratching his stomach. When his finger brush against the white bandage, he took a moment to gaze at it, smiling at the earlier event. 

"Right, Xi said to not neglect on homework." Jian Yi begins digging through his bag and took out his math homework. It sort of suck that they weren't able to attend university together, but he wasn't sure if he'll even attend the university now because he doesn't know what he wants to do in life. It's great to see that his best friend has a career ahead of him, but the blonde still had no idea what's good at. It didn't occur to him that all of his friends were good at something while he simply went through his whole life focusing on doing everything with his best friend. 

As Jian Yi is older, he has become aware of his strengths and weaknesses. But none were fitting for a certain career, unlike his friends. For example, Zhan Xi is good at taking care of other people so it's no doubt that he would choose a profession that involves helping other people, redhead is great at cooking so he'll be a great chef someday, and lastly, He Tian. The sadistic boy may be evil but he's pretty smart. Smart enough to be a businessman or a con man. Or a mafia boss. The blonde shuddered. 

Jian Yi then sighs heavily and cracks his knuckles. Then there's himself, who lacks a talent. His personality just didn't clash with any specific jobs that he could think of. He then scoots closer to his desk. Even if he doesn't know what he'll do in life, his main focus right now is to finish high school and figure out where he'll go from there. 

With his pencil in his hand, he started to concentrate on the formulas, working hard on each question as he plugs in the number into the calculator. About 30 minutes later, he finishes and stood up to stretch out his muscles but winces slightly when he overdid the stretch. When the wound was still intact, he releases a sigh of relief and went to retrieve his phone now that he's finished with his homework. 

"I'm bored," Jian Yi mutters, scrolling through his phone. "I want to go out, but Xi is busy with his school stuff right now." Suddenly, an image of Xiao Hui floated through his head and he frowned, feeling the jealousy bubbling at the pits of his stomach. He knows he shouldn't feel this way since Xi rejected her back in middle school, but he didn't think that they'd be going to the same university. 

What if they end up together?

The blonde's eyes narrowed at the thought and he unconsciously grips his knees tight. That won't happened. That can't happen. But if it did happen, then...he closed his eyes and leans back.

It's not like he has a say to that. If Xi did change his mind and accept her, then all he could do is be happy for him. Plus, she'll make a better fit for him since she's also in the medical field, unlike his clumsy self, he thought bitterly. The blonde was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't hear the door knocking and the sound of it opening a few minutes later.

No longer wanting to continue his train of thoughts, he shakes his head from side to side before standing up to go play some games to help get his mind off of the negative thoughts. "Great job, Jian Yi. You just ruined your good mood with your unnecessary thinking," the blonde said out loud. 

"Overthinking is the worst. How about some cake?"

At the unexpected voice, Jian Yi whips around so fast and nearly screamed upon seeing the visitor leaning against the door frame. "How did you get into my house?! You didn't break my door down, did you?!" Fearing the worst, he ran out of his room to do some inspection and when finding none, he sighs in relief. It'll be troublesome having to get his door fixed and he really didn't want people asking him where was his mom at in case they needed her to sign anything. He turns back around to greet the unwelcoming visitor.

"Someone was in a hurry to head inside and didn't notice his key falling out of his pocket." She Li waved the silver key in his hand, enjoying the other's reaction. 

"Isn't this considered breaking and entering without the owner's permission?" Jian Yi retorted and crosses his arms together. Honestly, just what did this guy want? This is probably the first time they had this much interaction.

"Not really when I haven't busted the door down and has the key to this apartment, which I came to return," She Li answered and sets the box of cake on the dining table with the key next to it. 

Jian Yi could only grumble in annoyance and shoved the key back into his pocket. His eyes linger on the silver hair male, trying to decipher why the guy was strangely acting so nice to him. Is this payback for what he's done back in middle school? But that was so long ago, Jian Yi doesn't think that She Li would be acting nice to him if he wanted revenge. But then again, it's not like he did anything bad to cause the other male to seek revenge. 

Suddenly, a flashback of the blonde spilling that orange liquid on the silver hair male's shirt when he thought some stranger was going to attack him flooded into his mind, causing him to doubt. 

"Why are you staring at me?" 

Jian Yi jolts back, not even aware that he was staring in the first place. She Li watches the way the blonde's expression changes over time and smirk slightly, curious to know what the other male is currently thinking at the moment. 

Unable to contain his mouth, Jian Yi answers, "Hey. Not to sound rude but why are you being so nice to me? This is the first time we spoke this much and last time I checked, we didn't have a good relationship back in middle school." 

"That was when we were young and naive. I think you're an interesting person and I like to start over with you, now that I'm older. Also, I bought this cake as a greeting since we'll be neighbors from now on. Come here and let's eat cake together." 

Is this guy saying he wants us to be friends? He's seriously joking, right? No way was he going to be friends with this weirdo. "....Yeah, I'll pass. I just ate food a while ago and I'm not really feeling up for it. Thanks anyways." 

"That's too bad. I was hoping we have a nice little chat over cake and you can tell me where you disappeared off too." She Li rested his chin on top of his interlocked fingers, his eyes never leaving the blonde's pale eyes. "So where did you go?

"None of your business." Jian Yi's throat suddenly excuses himself as he speeds walks into the kitchen to get himself a glass of water. He could still feel the intense stare boring holes at the back of his head and with a final gulp, he slams the glass cup down onto the counter a bit too hard, the smacking sound emitting into the air. Why couldn't he just simply tell the guy to leave? Why was it so hard to open up his mouth and tell the other to simply fuck off?

"But I was worried about you."

Oh, I wonder why." As much as this guy reminds him of He Tian, this visitor is the exact definition of the word, "creep", unlike He Tian, who isn't that weird in his book. Mustering up his courage, he turns around and screams once more at the close proximity. "Fuck!"

She Li laughs softly and tilt his head to the side. "So?"

"S-So what?" Damn it, why the hell am I stuttering now? Way to make yourself look tough, you idiot. 

"Aren't you going to compensate me for my emotional damage?"

Jian Yi had to refrain himself from rolling his eyes. Oh yeah, this guy was definitely a weirdo. "Can you not stand so close to me? I don't like that and if I do that, will that get you to leave?" The blonde watches the way the taller simply smile and took a step back. 

"Depends on how you would compensate me for it."

The blonde huffs. What a stubborn guy. "Just tell me what do you want if that'll get you to leave me alone." 

At that, She Li's smirk is now full blown on his face and he ponders for a bit. "There's a Korean festival coming up next weekend. Let's go together."

"You're kidding, right? You mean like a date? With just the two of us?!"

"You can interpret it however you like. But I still want us to go to that Korean festival together, or did you already made plans with that boy toy of yours?"

"Xi isn't my boy toy and why the heck would I want to go there with you?! That clearly sounds like a date! Actually, yes. He and I already made plans to hang out next week together." The blonde actually didn't know when he would be able to hang out with Xi next week but he figured it could be on a weekend. But what if Xi can't make it because he has so much work to do next week? That'll just make him look like a fool in front of She Li if the guy found out he was lying. 

She Li crossed his arms as he leans against the kitchen wall. "You said next week. So that leaves the weekend opened, right?"

Jian Yi gulps and tore his gaze away. "Maybe. Maybe not," he grumbles. "Look, it's true that I did agree to hang out with Xi next week but I don't know if he'll be up for it since the guy is busy with med school and everything."

"So that means we'll have to find out next week if you're free on the weekends. Then it's settled. I'll wait for your answer next week." Just then, She Li's phone rang and he answers it. 

"Hello? Yeah. Alright, I'll be out right now. Alright, bye." The silver hair male ends his call and places it back in his pocket. "Seems like I gotta go handle some paperwork. It was nice chatting with you, blondie. I'll see you next week." He ruffles the soft locks and smirks when his hand was automatically rejected. "Ouch."

"Just leave, already." Jian Yi scowl, walking the taller out to the door. Before he could close the door, a hand suddenly slam on the side and his eyes wide. She Li's face zoom in closer once more, smile on his face. "One last thing before I go. Don't disappear on me next week or else."

"Or else what?" The blonde challenge, lifting up an eyebrow. He immediately regrets opening his mouth the minute She Li speed walk back inside his house and caged him between his arms. "Do you want me to tell you?" He leans closer until their noses touch and Jian Yi doesn't hesitate to push him off, a blush adorning his cheeks. 

"No. Now leave already!"

"Remember what I said!" She Li waved with a smirk on his face and left to go sign some paperwork, leaving the blonde in a complete frenzy. Once the door closes, Jian Yi had to calm his heart down because his heart wouldn't stop hammering against his chest. He didn't think She Li would quick on his feet and it only made him dread next week. With a groan, he went over to his living room and plop down on the ground. A game should help him forget about the earlier events, hopefully. 

Three hours later, it's 7 pm and Jian Yi stops playing his video games to rest his eyes for a bit. While the games merely served as a distraction, it didn't help erase the dreaded feeling of having to go on a date with She Li next weekend. Even though the latter didn't say it was a date himself, why does it feels like he just accepted a date with She Li?

Unable to contain the profound news, he immediately texted Zhan Xi. 

To Zhan Xi: 

Xi!

His phone vibrated a few minutes later and Jian Yi quickly opens up the message. 

To Jian Yi:

What? 

To Zhan Xi:

You busy?

To Jian Yi:

Yes. What do you want? Is it about the stitches?

To Zhan Xi:

No, it's not that. You'll never guess what happened! I ran into a creep today!

To Jian Yi:

What? There's someone creepier than you? 

To Zhan Xi:

She Li is my neighbor now! He asked me out on a date next weekend to the Korean festival and I sort of told him that I was hanging out with you so I'm hoping you're free on the weekend so I don't have to go with him. 

To Jian Yi:

I thought the guy hated you. Why is he being nice to you all of a sudden?

To Zhan Xi:

He wants me to and I quote, "compensate him for the emotional damage". I know, creepy isn't it? He wouldn't leave until I agreed. So are you busy next weekend?

Jian Yi closed his eyes and laid back down on the couch. Zhan Xi didn't answer for a while and he could feel himself growing nervous. Just then, his phone vibrated and he quickly taps on the message. He felt his stomach dropped. 

To Jian Yi: 

Yeah, I'm busy next weekend sorry. Maybe he's a good guy, get to know him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge apology for the late update! I'm currently on summer break so I started playing some games again, along with spending time with family and taking care of my sick mom. Thank you to those who waited and I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter! Until then, stay tuned my lovelies~

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is my first fanfic of 19 days so hope you all enjoyed! Don't forget to leave kudos and comment! Stay tuned, my lovelies! ~


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